The marathon is a tough event especially for a new runner. It takes alot of hard work before you get to the start line. Im glad I waited 3.5 years before running one and got some good miles under my belt.

could be a lot of things, including all that boring stuff like stress at work, onset of illness, etc.

Ruling those out, one hard concept to come to terms with as a runner is periodization. Essentially, view our training in terms of cycles. Your weekly cycle (sometimes done as a 10 day cycle) should alternate hard days with recovery days. But a more often overlooked cycle is working in an occassional week that is lighter, and every third week is a number i have heard thrown around.

From my experience, i have always ignored that larger cycle (read: no light/recovery weeks). But lately i have found that my body won't really let me get away with that anymore. If i don't do it, i get so beat up, that i just perform to a diminished level that amounts to a de facto recovery week.

In a nutshell, i am finding that I can chose to follow the time-tested wisdom of the running sage and build it into my plan, or i can hit a wall where i end up doing essentially the same thing anyway, just involuntarily.

I agree with ThisIsNotSam, and some of the other posters. You may need rest or it could be the intended cumulative fatigue as designed by your marathon training program. It could also be the heat/humidity which will sap you pretty hard. Whenever I started my 16, 18, 20 mile long runs, my legs felt heavy/tired to start with, and I had doubts about being able to finish them, I seemed to feel better at mile 12.

You should have rest days and cutback weeks to help you recover. Water before/during/after is important, and eating proteins and carbs within 30 minutes after you workouts is important to jumpstart recovery.

I agree with (as stated above) ... Older runners take longer to recover than younger runners, and veterans seem to recover quicker than recent rookie runners.

How long has this been going on? Weeks? Days? If it's been weeks, definitely cut back on both the mileage and intensity for a week or so to reset the body. If it's been days, I would follow the mileage in your plan but cut back the intensity and run on the slower end of your pace range. Marathon training is hard and it's not uncommon to have heavy legs for several weeks as your body fights through accumulated fatigue during workouts and gets stonger over time. It's tougher for you because you are a beginner and just learning how to read your body and perceived efforts. Don't be depressed and follow the advice of other posters by getting more rest, etc.

Also depends on your goal for this marathon. Are you just looking to finish and cross the event off your bucket list? If so, I wouldn't worry so much about cutting back for a couple of weeks to let your body rest. Your ultimate goal is to get in the base mileage and long runs and get to the start line healthy and fairly well rested.

All my life I wanted to make it to the top. Some said I wouldn't, they told me no, but I didn't stop.

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